Snowed in at a castle full of handsome lords, three young ladies are about to have the holiday of their lives…

From the authors of At the Duke’s Wedding.

Map of a Lady’s Heart by Caroline Linden

The road to happily-ever-after… With Kingstag Castle full of guests and the snow falling, Viola Cavendish has her hands full making sure the Christmas house party runs smoothly. The unexpected arrival of the Earl of Winterton and his nephew Lord Newton upends everything. Not only is Lord Newton flirting with the young ladies Viola is supposed to chaperone, Lord Winterton himself makes her pulse race.Always takes some twists and turns Wesley Morane, Earl of Winterton, has come to Kingstag Castle in search of a valuable atlas, and he refuses to be deterred by the snow, the house party, his nephew, or even the most ridiculous play ever staged. But before long the only map he wants is one that shows him the way to Viola’s heart…

Hot Rogue on a Cold Night by Maya Rodale

Jilted by a duke: Lady Serena Cavendish was born and bred to be a duchess. Too bad, then, that the Duke of Frye mysteriously and suddenly ended their betrothal. Seduced by a Rogue: Greyson Jones, an agent of the crown, is the only one who thinks being jilted has made Serena more alluring. When he lucks into an invitation to a Christmas house party at Kingstag Castle to cheer her up—and perhaps find her a husband—he seizes the opportunity to win her heart before they might be parted forever. On the way to the altar: Their journey to happily ever after involves a ridiculous play, a lovesick swan, a mysterious gift and, of course, a kiss.

Snowy Night with a Duke by Katharine Ashe

The last time Lady Charlotte Ascot bumped into the Duke of Frye, she climbed a tree to avoid him. Sometimes it’s simply easier to run away than to face her feelings for him — overwhelmingly passionate feelings that no modest lady should have! Now, on her way to Kingstag Castle to celebrate the holidays with friends, Charlotte is trapped by a snowstorm at a tiny country inn with the duke of her steamiest dreams. But Frye has a secret of his own, and Christmas is the ideal time to finally tell the woman he’s always wanted the whole unvarnished truth. Better yet, he’ll show her...

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Maya Rodale began reading romance novels in college at her mother's insistence. She is now the bestselling and award winning author smart and sassy romances. She lives in New York City with her darling dog and a rogue of her own. Caroline Linden was born a reader, not a writer. She earned a math degree from Harvard University and wrote computer software before turning to writing fiction. Her books have won the NEC Reader’s Choice Beanpot Award, the Daphne du Maurier Award, and RWA’s RITA Award. Visit her online at www.carolinelinden.com to sign up for her newsletter, or find her on Twitter (@Caro_Linden) and Facebook (AuthorCarolineLinden). Katharine Ashe is the award-winning author of historical romances that reviewers call “intensely lush” and “sensationally intelligent,” including How to Be a Proper Lady, an Amazon Editors’ Choice for the 10 Best Romances of the Year, and How to Marry a Highlander, 2014 finalist for the prestigious RITA® Award. She lives in the wonderfully warm Southeast with her beloved husband, son, dog, and a garden she likes to call romantic rather than unkempt. A professor of history, she writes romance because she thinks modern readers deserve grand adventures and breathtaking sensuality too. For more about her books, please visit www.KatharineAshe.com.

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Collections of stories are usually uneven. One author may be inspired to write along the given story line while another is not.

All three of these included a sexual encounter, and some seemed tacked on to the story to fulfill a requirement. Apparently, those societal restrictions of the time that assumed a couple would indulge in sex if left alone for 10 minutes were not so ridiculous after all.

The Linden story, "Map of a Lady's Heart," was my favorite. The H and h were mature, if a bit hypocritical, and their story was the most believable.

The Rodale entry, "Hot Rogue on a Cold Night," was very predictable and consisted entirely of drawn out "he/she can't possibly love me--no, wait--maybe he/she does."

Ashe's story, "Snowy Night with a Duke," was the one I liked least. HR spies are not my favorites, but this one had so many improbabilities (the heroine is an angelic soul devoting years to caring for the poor while getting up early to run long distances) with more "he/she can't love me--no, wait--" plus major physical difficulties, nobility spying for the crown to stop a thief, etc., made it just about as silly as Lady Bridget's play back at the castle.

The play was one of the more interesting aspects of the book and I broke my long-standing rule of avoiding books with people pretending to be talking swans to read this book.

I expected to see more of a tie-in with the first anthology. Although various characters from the original stories did appear, it seemed they did not all act similarly to their original stories. Two of the best characters in this anthology ended up being Bridget and her great aunt and their crazy play ( loved some of the lines they made their actors recite).

The first story, Map of a Lady's Heart, was slow to begin with two new main characters being introduced, with only marginal acknowledgement of the former leading characters (the Duke and Duchess), who left the house party within the first few pages. The duke then only appeared at the end of the far too brief ending to tell the hero to get off his property asap -- without allowing either the hero or the heroine -- his own family member to try to explain. Also, the story ended abruptly with the hero and heroine just deciding to get married. -- no idea if they snuck out with their tails between their legs or if they confronted the Duke of what. Also, there was never any other mention within the two other stories as to what happened.

Hot Rogue on a Cold Night -- Okay story, but found the supporting characters such as the great aunt and her youngest sister, and the strange play, far more interesting.

Snowy Night With a Duke -- Disappointed in this one as I had hoped to see a glimpse of Charlotte 's family, especially Trent and his time-travelling wife, as well as the younger brother, Henry. Charlotte was totally out of character here.

Loved this anthology! The authors took the time to create a fabulous house party theme and crafted three wonderful stories about the couples who are snowed in for the holidays at Kingstag Castle.

The Duke and Duchess of Wessex leave their holiday house party in the hands of their daughter Serena and Viola Cavendish, the duchess’s secretary. Serena and Viola must supervise the duke’s troublesome sister Bridget, keep an eye on the mischievous Lady Sophronia and Serena’s friends.

Each story contains enough character and plot cross over to make for an enjoyable, delightful read! I felt that I was reading a book, not three separate stories.

Bridget’s play was woven throughout each of the three novellas. Loved that each author understood the character and her desire to write the play. I enjoyed reading every paragraph devoted to Bridget and her zany play and the unscripted ending was perfect!!

Caroline Linden’s Map of a Lady’s Heart is my favorite story within the anthology. I thought that the all of the characters were relatable and appealing. Ms. Linden did a fabulous job setting the scene and introducing all of the castle’s guests to the reader. The scene where Wes asks Viola to go outside to view the stars at night was exquisitely written. Loved that Wes understood that his love for Viola was the treasure he'd spent a lifetime looking for.

Maya Rodale’s piece features Lady Serena, Lord Gosling, Greyson Jones and Bridget’s play. Grey has loved Serena for years. He did not pursue her because she was engaged to his best friend. Grey views the house party at his opportunity to see if he is really in love with Serena. Loved the hysterically funny scenes when Lady Bridget and her aunt cast Grey as Serena’s love interest in the play. The witty dialogue, laugh out loud scenes from the play and pacing in this novella are superb.

And Bridget’s play? Will the Lonely Spinster choose the Lord Captain Pirate or the Lovesick Swan?The conclusion to this story was very romantic and perfect for the happy couple and playwright!

Katharine Ashe’s descriptive voice and the back and forth banter between Charlotte and Frye make the third novella in the anthology a charming read. I could feel how cold it was outside, understand Charlotte’s feelings towards Frye and understand why Frye loved the feisty Charlotte beyond words. The romance between the couple was delicately paced as Charlotte truly believes that Frye has jilted her best friend. Loved the added touch of the couple celebrating Christmas Eve at the inn. My favorite scene occurred when Charlotte tells an unconscious Frye that he is “forbidden to die’. It’s touching, perfectly executed and yes….made me cry! Ms. Ashe treats us to several fun plot twists and turns before the couple arrives at Kingstag Castle.

I enjoyed this fabulous anthology. It’s filled with great characters, fun and games and so much romance!

I love regency romances! I’ve read many books by these authors and liked them, even loved some. These novellas were no exception. The Caroline Linden novella was fantastic - one of my favorite premises, great leads, good story, great chemistry. The Maya Rodale novella was sillier than the others, but still compelling. The Katharine Ashe novella was fitful but engaging. Overall, great stories for Christmas! Can’t wait to read the earlier set...

Three novellas from three fabulous historical romance authors. The three stories are intertwined yet each story is true to the style in which each author writes. We have a Christmas castle, a house party, a fun cast of characters, many chances to laugh and smile, and of course, a happily ever after for each couple. Fans of the three authors, regency romance fans and those who love a story at Christmas time, will enjoy this.